If people really were the connoisseurs they think they are, these frauds would be impossible. In fact you can change the label on a lot of things and people don't notice.
In the UK we have a very popular tv program 'Masterchef'. Last week 5 competitors were asked to identify the ingredients in a meal of spicy pork. They got most of the spices and sauces right, but two of them identifed the meat as lamb and one as duck.
And these were excellent amateur chefs aiming to become professionals.
The Sock

It's been a joke in the Eu for years that Italy manages to export more tomatoes and olive oil than it grows - somehow it has a negative consumption!

There is a $LOTS business for anybody that can make a fast/cheap reliable system that can tell 'extra virgin' ie cold pressed olive oil from the mechanical stuff.

The restaurant law is the usual 'government', the average guy is fat because they eat too many hamburgers so the response is to cut the amount of cream allowed in a high end restaurant meal.

According to my own experience and observation, nope.

Most people's diets and lifestyles are so harmful that adding or subtracting a little salt will make little difference to their overall health. For example, some people I know are overly concerned with whether their vegetables are organic or not, completely missing the fact that they live in one of the world's most polluted cities. IMO, getting caught up in the details makes one lose sight of the overall picture. Oh, and enacting more laws is surely not the way to advocate personal responsibility.

And here is written the truth!
-Blast

Not all proposed laws are intended to become actual law. According to the Ortiz office the proposed law was intended to raise awareness of salt use and the health hazards.

Then again not all proposals that are not intended to become law get winnowed out. A friend pointed out that there is a law passed making it illegal to fish from the back of a giraffe. It was inserted to see if anyone was paying attention but didn't get removed and was passed as part of a larger state bill.

It also has to be noted that many cooks lean on using salt in part because they have little idea of how to build in flavor by use of spices, herbs, and creative cooking. Some small amount of salt is needed but it is easy to use salt as a crutch to cover for a lack of culinary skills.

How about this one.
If you are in Quebec Canada all business signs have to be in French. If there are any English words the letters can only be half the size of the letters in the French words.

Also if you are a teenager in Fort Qu"Appelle Saskatchewan you are committing a crime if you walk around town with your shoe laces undone.

So basically you want to ban something you don't like, would you still be so righteous when they want to ban something you like but they don't?


Welcome to my life.

Here's something else, in French schools, student are not allowed to speak English outside actual English class, or they will be punished by detention.

I was absolutely shocked when I confirmed this with a woman whose kid is in school.

Reminds me of a stunt we did to make a mock point about the representativeness of our student democracy: Out of 6.000 students, a group of 15 was plenty enough to hijack an all-students meeting and dictate that the student's board would implement the University as gravitational free area. Yup, the student's board was now required to suspend the law of gravitation at campus ...

This story could logically continue to comments about direct democracy in, say, California and Switzerland, but that would be political.

>So basically you want to ban something you don't like, would >you still be so righteous when they want to ban something you >like but they don't?

My disliking anyones action is irrelevant. Read what I wrote. If I simply don't like their activity, that should be my problem not theirs
But living unhealthily and then handing me the bill is an activity I'd like to have an input on.
And YES if I am doing something other people are going to have to pay for; (like those we routinely criticise for calling out search and rescue due to their being unprepared).
Then the payer should have a say in my actions.
And as I said; I can see the merits of giving people the choice. It's not a black and white case.
The Sock